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Postal food drive is Saturday

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May 5, 2003 // UPDATED 10:50 am - April 30, 2007

By: United States Postal Service's National Association of Letter Carriers will hold its 11th annual National Food Drive on Saturday, May 10. On that day, letter carriers will collect non-perishable food and deliver it to the Second Harvest food bank.

United States Postal Service&#039;s National Association of Letter Carriers will hold its 11th annual National Food Drive on Saturday, May 10. On that day, letter carriers will collect non-perishable food and deliver it to the Second Harvest food bank.

Customers can leave food items by their mailboxes.

Jim Ahlgren, U.S. Postal Service Minneapolis spokesman, said Minneapolis carriers collected 200 tons of food last year; nationally, 3,200 tons was collected. "This is the largest single-day food drive in the nation," Ahlgren said.

He said while the Twin Cities ranks high in donations, Milwaukee is by far the most generous place in the U.S., giving nearly 500 tons of food, partly due to generous corporate support. "Everybody in Milwaukee knows it's food-drive day," Ahlgren said.

Ahlgren said the Minneapolis food drive faces a disadvantage because it starts the same weekend as the fishing opener. He said he urges residents heading to the lakes to leave their food items by the mailbox when they leave. Ahlgren said if somebody takes the food, they probably needed it.

He said if organizations or individuals wish to volunteer time or support for the drive or the food bank, contact Lenny Larson, the president of the Minneapolis branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers at 781-9858 or Megan Sullivan at the Second Harvest Heartland Food Bank at 651-484-5117 ext. 157 for more information.